Musings on movies, television, music and more

Song of the Day #1,044: ‘The Idiot Boy’ – Ron Sexsmith

Ron Sexsmith’s third album, 1999’s Whereabouts, featured slicker production than his first two and was a little more adventurous musically. On the whole, I like the songs a little less than the earlier material, but that’s nitpicking.

References to God show up a lot in Sexsmith’s work, and I’m not sure if he’s a practicing Christian or if he just likes the imagery (in the way that artists such as Paul Simon and Bruce Springsteen find poetry in religious language). I’m exposing my religious bigotry by stating that I hope it’s the latter.

Today’s song is more an indictment of man than a celebration of God.

God so loved the idiot boy
He gave him a pair of eyes to explore
Gave him a pair of hands to destroy
Any good thing that he found

He said ”Put this kid in a candy store
Let him run around until he drops”
Then just like a bull in a china shop
Everything came crashing down

God so loved the idiot boy
That he filled the nights with dreams
Til dusty sunlight beams
Danced upon his floor

Gave him a solo in the choir
Where songs of wild desire
Were all his voice was for
Lo lo lo lo lo lo

God so loved the idiot world
He gave it his only son to kick around
That was long ago in another town
(It could use a good laugh now)

God so loved the idiot world
Gave him a solo in the choir
Where songs of wild desire
Were all his voice was for
Lo lo lo lo lo lo

God so loved the idiot boy
He gave him coffee grounds in a paper cup
And a reason everyday to keep getting up
In a world that drags you down